Burger Day
by pull harder
Summary: Rikkai Babbles #3. Subtle requests for alone time don't work, as Niou finds out.


Rikkai Babble Series:

_**Standard Disclaimer applies.**_

RBS: **Burger Day**

Refer to profile for the complete list of Rikkai Babbles. Enjoy!

* * *

Niou smirked, keeping at a brisk pace, seeing as it was getting dark and the air was getting cold. He bantered on and off with either Marui or Kirihara, all the while thinking of how the day began…

…

Blue eyes were barely open as they peered in the direction of the wind. It stung, but the Trickster would be damned before he admitted to such a weakness. In fact, he thought it was a damn good idea to give off the impression that he _had_ no weakness. Less blackmail material, more excitement.

Just don't ask about the logic behind that statement. It does not exist.

His vision automatically zoomed in to the junior who, just now, was heading off the courts for his warm-up laps. In good time. "OI, BRAT!" he called.

Kirihara turned his head ever so slowly. "Whaddya want?"

Tsk. No respect at all. "Up for a burger later? There's this place somewhere out there that my distant relative was going on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on—"

"I get the idea," the younger boy cut in before Niou could continue. Who knew when he would've stopped with his 'on and on'?

"Well? Are you coming or not?"

"…Who else will be there?" he asked warily.

"…I dunno. Marui, maybe? And Jackal, too, if he feels like it. And Yagyuu…" Niou trailed off. He didn't really plan on inviting anyone other than Kirihara… Oh well.

The junior ace rolled his eyes. "Well, if everyone's going, sure. What time'll it be, senpai?"

"Just be here by the end of practice. You can manage that, can't you? And you'd better have money," was the last warning before the Trickster turned back to his partner with a smirk. He turned the racket in his hand a couple of times to look cool. "So Yagyuu… where were we?"

"In the middle of a game, Niou-kun," Yagyuu deadpanned. His answer was almost drowned out by extremely loud curses from the other side of the court.

From Marui, to be exact.

It sure is a good thing that Yukimura and Sanada—who were most likely to scold anyone cursing within their (or Kirihara's) hearing range—along with Yanagi were off strategizing in the clubroom. Or in one of the classrooms. Or worse. Maybe they're in the _cafeteria_.

But, alas, the rest of the team will never know.

And so Marui continued swearing, under his breath just to be on the safe side.

Jackal was sniggering at the redhead's list of things he would do to make sure Niou would wish he was never BORN in this world… no, in this UNIVERSE… rather, in this DIMENSION… and he would do all that with a plastic ruler. The insanity of it all. "Eh… Marui, oi." Jackal threw tennis balls at Marui to get his attention. "Oi, you. Let's get back to the game. You don't want Sanada to catch us standing around doing _nothing_, do you?"

The self-proclaimed tensai blew a bubble. Pop! "…Fine. But not 'cos I'm afraid of fukubuchou, okay?" He made sure to get the latter sentence across.

"Sure, sure," Niou commented. "Somebody serve already."

"It's your turn, Niou-kun."

"No, it's Jackal's turn."

"I'm very sure it's Marui's turn to serve," argued Jackal.

"…This is all Niou's fault…"

The Trickster smirked. "Shut the hell up and serve, pansy."

Marui sputtered, his mouth opening and closing like a fish shortly afterwards. "P-pansy? Why, you BASTARD! I'm not a pansy, and you have no justifications in saying that I am! You… and everyone heard it, too! ARGH! I am a TENSAI, you hear me? A friggin' _tensai_!" he ranted. The nerve of that Niou. Calling him a pansy.

"Of course." He dodged the shot that was so obviously aimed for his face. "Sucker."

"Who is?"

The four looked at Kirihara who had just arrived from his laps.

He blinked. "What?"

Niou's smirk widened. "Your _ex-boyfriend_ can't even hit a target properly," he explained in a mocking tone.

"Well, you were _moving_!" snapped the tensai.

"Would you rather I didn't?"

"Very much, thank you. And while you're at it, you can stop calling me his ex-boyfriend."

Niou let out an exaggerated gasp. "You're_ not_?"

"That's… ugh. Yeah, I am, but it sounds terrible, like we're not on good terms. Right, Aka-chan?" Marui turned to their kouhai for some support.

Kirihara shrugged, not really comprehending how _deep_ the situation was for the two upperclassmen. "I guess… we're really friends now, aren't we?"

"BEST friends," the redhead said insistently.

"…Uh. Sure, senpai."

Niou snorted at the two. "Could we just finish the game, please? Get off the court, brat."

"…blah, blah, blah…" was the grumbled reply as the team's baby complied with the order.

The rest of the practice was splattered with ridiculing jabs and colourful language, and ended with the arrival of the Awesome Threesome—namely Yukimura, Sanada and Yanagi. Much to the vice captain's dismay, the other two suspiciously found multiple reasons to keep themselves away from the club for the whole practice time. He had yet to find out exactly what happened to the team… even though he didn't want to.

…And it turned out that the whole team could come for burgers. What utter joy.

…

Niou shook his head to clear his thoughts. He didn't need nostalgia. He needed a back-up plan, what with the entire team being there.

"Oi, Niou," Marui called to him from a distance. "Niou Masaharuuuu. Oi, _Niou_… Well, would you look at this SCANDALOUS picture of Seigaku's Tezuka Kunimitsu when he was a baby!"

The Trickster blinked and leisurely brought his gaze to the rest of the team who had stopped a few feet away.

Kirihara was pointing to the sign saying 'BURGER PLACE' beside them. "Senpai, is this the place?"

"…Could be." He backtracked and proceeded inside.

Marui grinned as he smelled something sweet in the air. "Not bad," he remarked. "That relative of yours has nice taste."

"Yeah, sure." Niou kept walking and found a table in the corner that could fit all of them. Setting his bag on one of the plastic chairs, he raised an eyebrow at them. "I dislike going up to the cashier and ordering," he announced.

The redhead snickered at that. "That's 'cos they always ask for your senior citizen card."

"…REGARDLESS. I wouldn't go for the life of me."

"Aw, not _this_ again!" whined Kirihara all of a sudden, looking at his phone's messages. "Some girl got a hold of my number."

"…"

Niou smirked. He had his back-up plan. "On second thought, _I'll _go order," he said, in a good mood once more. "What do you guys want?"

"…Anything not poisoned," replied the Regulars, sans Sanada (who said it in his head) and Yukimura (who was unfazed with the sudden change of mind).

* * *

Ehehe… I was half-asleep while writing this and now that I'm reading it, I like it very much.

Confused? Did you like it? Hate it? Only slightly dislike it for a reason that you will specify? Please review and tell me what you think. D'8


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